Rebecca VA Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I like this! How wonderful to read that autistic adults are valued for their unique characteristics. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/04/thinking-differently-autism-patients-in-demand-by-employers/?test=latestnews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 After nine hours, this had ZERO views, so I'm bumping it up for the morning crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have a big problem with the headline -- my two boys are not "patients". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 This is a related BBC article. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22621829 L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I agree with Rough Collie about the headline. Asta, a member of this board, predicted this move a couple of years ago, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 It's a great trend! I'm glad that companies are seeing how they can benefit from people's strengths, rather than a cookie-cutter "ideal" employee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have a big problem with the headline -- my two boys are not "patients". This was my reaction to the headline as well. My son is not a "patient". Headline Fail aside, it's very encouraging that employers are beginning to recognize the unique value that autistic individuals bring to the workplace. I'm on the board of an autism nonprofit here in Colorado Springs, and we were recently contacted by a technical recruiter who is now partnering with us in his efforts to recruit autistic adults for the technical companies he works with. I'm excited about the possibilities for the local autism community, as well as the overall trend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Neither my son nor I need any special treatment or consideration because by fluke of genetics or by fluke of whatever, we just *happen* to have Asperger's. We blend into society just fine, and successfully so. I understand your reaction. However, many adults with Asperger's do need accommodations in the workplace in order to be successful. I've met several of them through the nonprofit I work with. These are brilliant people who are great at what they do professionally, but they struggle with aspects of the typical work environment. A few of them have worked out official ADA accommodations with their employers. A 2008 study by Easter Seals found that 80% of young adults with autism (ages 19-30) are still living at home with their parents, and a subsequent study by Autism Speaks found that 90% of those young adults are either unemployed or underemployed (regardless of their IQ or education level). The ability to find and keep employment is a huge issue for individuals on the spectrum. Personally, I hope my son (also dx'd with Asperger's) will be able to enter the workforce without requiring special accommodations. But the fact that companies are now becoming more aware and accepting of neurological differences in the workforce can only be a good thing IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Our local community has a very large population of individuals who are somewhere on the spectrum because we live in an area with a lot of services, opportunities, and supports for not only children, but also for adults. A number of workforce placement opportunities available for people on the spectrum, but most of those placed into a job (with employers who have accommodations in place) are unable to sustain working part--time or full-time for any longer period of time (more than 3-4 months). Obviously those who are able to mainstream into life are often quite successful. Those who need more support often continue to struggle even with supports in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Dandelion, I must take a moment to speak well of you and the good/needed task you are working so hard at! My "button" is triggered specifically by my solid disagreement with classifying Asperger's in with autism, and [by solid disagreement] with movements which call special attention to a class of people, rather than accept without fanfare, people on a one-by-one approach. I have severe ADD/ADHD as well. Provide me with appropriate accommodations, please. "Celebrate" my "uniqueness"? Ridiculous. Ah, ok. I agree that such acceptance would be the ideal. I wonder how we get there as a society without some degree of "classifying" the attributes that warrant consideration and acceptance? It seems like that's been the path for every segment of the population that has experienced that shift from rejection to acceptance. I need another cup of coffee before I grapple with that. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Frankly, the article thrusts me into the crossroads for disgust and annoyance, leaning toward anger. I always have thought it absurd to label Asperger's a form of autism. One of my sons has Asperger's. Were I to spend money to correct a misdiagnosis of OCD, I would be classified as having Asperger's. Neither my son nor I need any special treatment or consideration because by fluke of genetics or by fluke of whatever, we just *happen* to have Asperger's. We blend into society just fine, and successfully so. So here comes some dim-bulb article to single us out, on the specious grounds of "celebrating our uniqueness". You might want to consider how your own words can be potentially offensive to those who have Asperger's and who do in fact need treatment and therapies to be functional. My son has been diagnosed with Asperger's as well. Without the work he is doing with a speech therapist, a social skills group, OT and a therapist at an autism clinic plus all we do at home and with homeschooling and vitamins, he would be considerably less functional, perhaps unable to be in PT classes with typically developing children at all without an aide and definitely not able to do many of the things he is able to enjoy because of the strides he has made. Because of the changes in the DSM 5, he was recently reclassified to Autism/ASD because he has always exhibited repeptitive and restrictive patterns of behavior apart from social impacts. There are lots of people out there diagnosed with Asperger's who very much have benefited from treatment and wouldn't do well without it- it's not always just something mild enough to handle on their own or that they will form adaptive behaviors for by themselves. This last year he was in a play and in a spelling bee with a 500 person audience. 2 years ago, either of those things would have been literally impossible. Lots of those with the diagnosis Asperger's do not "blend into society just fine, and successfully so." It's great that you and your son do. Still, your relative ease in adapting to society just fine is really no reason for you to minimize the challenges faced by others who may have, correctly or incorrectly been given an Asperger's diagnosis. You know yourself and your son. That does not make you an expert in how Asperger's affects others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'm sorry that what I wrote caused upset feelings. Genuinely so. My son received many years of necessary intensive intervention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Patients...That really pushes a few of my buttons. It was a very poor word choice in my opinion, but the article was worth reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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